The original Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland opened with the theme park on July 17, 1955, and after various changes and updates, it’s now inspired an epic adventure for the big screen, giving one of the characters from the ride a very welcome reimagined twist. While wisecracking skipper and pun-lover Frank Wollf (Dwayne Johnson) makes his way down the Amazon with resourceful researcher Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), their search for an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities brings them face-to-face with numerous dangers, supernatural forces, and Trader Sam (Veronica Falcón), who is now a strong-willed woman leading her tribe in the jungle of the Amazon.
During this 1-on-1 virtual interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Falcón talked about her Jungle Cruise audition process alongside male actors, going on the adventure of a lifetime with this cast and director Jaume Collet-Serra, bringing the look of the character to life, imagining the type of woman Trader Sam is, and how much fun it would be to get to further explore the character in some way. She also talked about her role in the upcoming fourth season of Ozark, her experience on Perry Mason, and the impact that COVID made on her Falcon and the Winter Soldier role.
Collider: I was very excited about this movie and your character. I also cover theme parks and I’ve been going to Disneyland since I was a child, the whole idea of this movie was so much fun to me and I love the changes that they made to this character.
VERONICA FALCÓN: That’s good to hear.
There has been a lot of talk about how problematic this character is, for a long time. I love the female energy that they’re bringing to some of the rides at Disneyland now.
FALCÓN: Yes, me too. I think it’s fantastic.
When this role of Trader Sam in a big Disney movie based on the Jungle Cruise ride came your way, how much were you actually told about it? How did they describe the character? What did they tell you?
FALCÓN: There were very little things that they told me. I knew they were still deciding if they wanted a woman or a man to play it, so I knew they were casting actors that were both female and male. I knew the character a little bit because, like you, the first time I came to Disneyland, I think it was probably the first or the second ride I jumped in. I remembered the character. I knew it was gonna be different. I don’t exactly recall the description in the casting, but it the character was a little bit of a merchant, a little bit of an inventor, a little bit of a chief of a tribe, a little eccentric, funny, and had a good business sense. The way I read it, it read to me that it could be a bit eccentric, and I loved that. I loved not only that he was taking care of his tribe, or her tribe in this case, but in the beginning, we didn’t know if it was a man or a woman, and I loved the creativity of the character. He can turn something into a business and he can turn something into something it was not meant to be used for. That creative aspect, being protective of the tribe and trying to provide for them and help them, I really liked about the character. The idea that I could potentially be cast to play a character in a Disney ride was fantastic for me. As a little girl that came from Mexico, to finally go to Disneyland for the first time in my life at 11 or 12 years old, and to think that I was going to possibly be able to do a character like that was quite a fantastic.
It’s cool because it is one of those classic rides that was there on opening day, and it’s a ride that everybody goes on, since it’s not too scary. It’s really fun that they were able to pay homage to that, but still make changes to the character.
FALCÓN: Thank you for saying that.
It seems really fun to get to be a part of a big epic adventure.
FALCÓN: It is a lot of fun. I didn’t think I got the movie. I did the audition and, of course, this is one of the characters that comes once in a lifetime, in an actor’s life. You want it, but you don’t know. I work hard at it and I hope they like the audition, but that’s all you can hope for. You know you are gonna be competing with actors that are equally as good or much better than you, so you really throw it out there and just have to let go because you can not worry about that too much. Something really funny happened. I auditioned for this role and two or three weeks later, I was in Mexico city. A dear friend of mine, who’s a fantastic actor that does work all over, in the States and in Mexico, was auditioning for this part. He told me, “I’m auditioning for a really interesting part in a Disney movie.” I said, “I know which one.” And he was like, “How do you know?” And I said, “Because I auditioned for that too.” He was like, “But you’re a woman.” And I said, “Yeah, you’re a man. And here we are. I don’t know who they’re going to choose.”
It was funny. He’s such a fantastic actor. It would have been very interesting to see him, if the character had been male, but I got lucky. So, after that happened, I thought, “Okay, it’s probably not gonna be for me.” I really respect him as an actor and I was sure they were seeing a lot of great people, so I let go of that and I went on a family vacation with my son. I was in Barcelona, which is actually the city where (director) Jaume Collet-Serra is from. They called me and were like, “The director wants to talk to you.” So, I talked with Jaume. He was very nice, and he explained to me what they wanted and what they liked, and that was that. Three days later, I got the call that I got to play this role. It was very surreal, the whole thing, to just go there and be able to play this character and see Dwayne [Johnson] dress as a skipper and the whole Jungle Cruise thing. The sets were incredible. It was incredible. The tagline of the movie says, “The adventure of a lifetime,” and I felt like it was my adventure of a lifetime.
As an actor, you want to be able to tick at least one box, whether that’s a good script, a good director, or a good cast, and you have all of those things, along with this big adventure, and then the Disney connection and the ride. It just seems like so many cool and fun elements at once.
FALCÓN: Of course, you have all of these checked boxes, which are great, but on top of that, I got to work with people that are very kind, very generous and very supportive, which is not always the case. You can find all sorts of people, but in the case of Jungle Cruise, I was very lucky. Mostly, I’m very lucky with the casts and the people I work with, but especially in Jungle Cruise. The way Emily [Blunt] and Dwayne and Jack [Whitehall] and Jaume and Disney received me, they were so kind and supportive. I’m not just saying this. When you see Dwayne and Emily and Jack joking around and the chemistry they have in the movie, it’s real. It really happened behind the scenes. So, I had like the most fun because I would just look at them or sometimes participate in this great rapport that they had. It was one of those wonderful projects.
Was there also a process for figuring out the look of the character, once you had been cast? Did you try various looks before the one we see in the film, or was there always a very clear idea of what she would wear and how she would look?
FALCÓN: Paco Delgado and Joel Harlow are fantastic. They’re really masters of what they do. The design of the character was already done. They were adjusting little things. Not only were they incredibly prepared, but they were also very open and generous. If I had something that was not comfortable or I couldn’t move, or I wanted to suggest something, they always incorporated that. My character is very gestural and moves her hands a lot. I was talking about it with Joel, our makeup designer, and he was like, “Okay, so maybe I’ll put more stuff on your hands,” and he put the eye [on my hand], like you see on the poster. They really are so good at what they do. They know that an actor needs to make the design together. It’s not just the actor. It’s a whole bunch of people working, so that the character can be seen the way it is, and we all are very respectful of one another. Paco Delgado, our costume designer, was the first guy I met and I saw these incredible amount of pictures, paintings and costumes that he was thinking about for the character. I was just really amazed because I really loved all of them. We tried some of the costumes and some things were a little difficult to move in, and he would adjust it and I would be able to move. That’s what makes them great. Not only are they creative, but they also know how to work with actors and how to help us create the character and move with their costumes and with the makeup.
I love that we get a real sense of history and a backstory with this character and with her relationship with Frank. Did you think much about what she’s doing, when we don’t get to see her, and what kind of life she lives when she’s not scheming with him?
FALCÓN: Absolutely, I thought about it a lot. One of the things she loves doing is experimenting with things. She’ll find something left from an expedition, like some eyeglasses, and she would find 10,000 different uses for the eyeglasses. I also can imagine her training and playing with kids. She’s a little bit of a kid herself because of this creativity. I also can imagine her sitting and meditating, looking at the stars and thinking of either some really deep philosophical question that she doesn’t even know how deep it is, or how she’s gonna trick Frank again, or how they can make a better deal. I can see her totally worrying about what’s going on in the Amazon. In those days, it wasn’t as terrible as it is now. I can see that she’s someone that could see ahead. I also could imagine her dreaming about traveling. She’d love that. She loves animals. She loves food. All of those things, I really imagine in her world.
One of things that helped most, and I wasn’t expecting, the first time I saw the tree where she leaves in the a village, literally I’m not kidding you, I almost felt like crying. It was that beautiful. It was lit in such a way where you step into it and I was like, “That’s her world.” It really felt like that. I remember telling that to Dwayne and to our producers. I said, “I’m sorry, guys, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but this is really fantastic.” I was very, very excited about it. They were probably like, “Yeah, we know it’s fantastic. We worked hard at it.” I was very surprised by the feelings.
You’ve also joined the final season of Ozark. Since you don’t typically get to read scripts for an entire season of a TV show ahead of time, what made you want to be a part of that series? Was it specifically the character, or had you seen the show?
FALCÓN: They invited me to audition, and I was just hoping for the best. It’s not like I choose projects. I’m not in that position. But I do get to audition for great shows. Of course, I had seen Ozark and I loved it. I love Laura [Linney] and Jason [Bateman]. I follow Laura Linney, as an actress. She’s incredibly talented and inspiring. So, when I audition for her Ozark, it was just exciting to be invited to audition for them. When they gave me the role, it was incredibly exciting. It’s funny because it’s very, very different from what I do in Jungle Cruise. As an actor, it’s a really great gift, if you’re given the opportunity to play characters that are so incredibly different. I’m very grateful for that.
What can you say to tease the final season and your character, and how she’s going to fit into this world?
FALCÓN: I can’t tell you much. I can tell you that it’s a season that is gonna really blow everyone away. They’re gonna love it. Most of the time you don’t get the script, but little by little. But they had worked so hard on this show and they’re so precise that they sent me the scripts. It was a big bunch of scripts to read. I was like, “Oh, my God, I hope I can finish it in some time.” I literally read them in two nights. That’s how good they were. I was reading them like, “Oh, my God, no. Oh, my God.” If that was my first reaction when I read the scripts, I think that once you see them on screen, you’re really gonna go crazy. Everybody will. It’s not only great writing and great actors, and everybody is good on the show, but it’s the heart that they put into the work. It was the same with Jungle Cruise. Every single show or film that I’m blessed to work with, that is successful, I think a lot of it has to do not only with the quality, but also with the heart and the soul that people are really putting into it. That cannot be faked. People can see it and sense it. That’s why I think, even though they’re very different, they’re both very successful because of that, aside from all of the other things.
What’s it like to join such a popular show and to do so in its final season? Does it make things more nerve-wracking? Is it more reassuring? Do you always get nervous on a new project?
FALCÓN: I always get nervous the first day, especially if I haven’t worked with a cast. Of course, as I said, I’m a big fan of Laura, as an actress, and the moment I met her, she was so warm. She opened her arms and said, “Veronica, welcome to Ozark.” I fell in love with her right away. I said, “Oh, my God, this is gonna be fun.” And the same with Jason and with (showrunner) Chris [Mundy], and with everybody else. It is a bit nerve-wracking because they are just so good at it and you just want to do good. It was the same with Emily and Dwayne and Disney. They’re so good at what they do and they are so precise, and you just wanna honor it and you just wanna be good. That puts a little bit of pressure on, but once you start working, it’s just fun because they’re so good at it. You just need to be prepared and be ready with what you have to do, and then they will help you out. It’s great.
How was your experience on Perry Mason? That’s another show that was a real surprise to me because I went into it thinking it might be one thing, and then I fell in love with the look of the show, especially being from Los Angeles and getting to see Los Angeles in a way that I haven’t really seen it.
FALCÓN: Yeah, that was another one of these incredibly blessed projects. I read the character of Lupe, and when HBO sent the casting, they were really open for different ages. They were casting actors from 30-something to 40 or 50-something. I thought I would not really have much of a chance because Matthew Rhys is younger than me and it’s not always easy to get these roles, as older actresses, even though, thank god, that’s changing, which is very necessary. But I knew it was HBO and I know they’re so good and so professional with every decision. I thought, if they like it and if they think it works, even if I’m older or younger, they will just give it to me because it works, so I don’t have to worry about that. I knew that. I thought I might not get the chance, but even if I didn’t, just to audition for the role was gonna be fun. So, I auditioned for it, and luckily I got it. And then, I got to meet Matthew Rhys, because most of my scenes are with Matthew, and again, it was like what happened with Jungle Cruise and Ozark. It was great people doing great work, being incredibly kind, generous, and supportive. It was amazing, and I’m getting spoiled. I get to work with people that are at the top of their game, but they’re also so genuinely supportive and nice, and happy to have a Latina actress in the show, and happy to work with different kinds of actors. That’s very inspiring and it’s very important.
What was it like to shoot the sex scene in Season 1? Do you have a laugh when you do something like that?
FALCÓN: Yes, you do. First of all, it’s incredibly choreographed. Whenever we get asked these questions, all of the actors say, “It’s very technical,” and everybody rolls their eyes and says, “Yeah, sure it is.” But it really is, especially with that scene because we had to break the bed, literally. It was very funny when we were rehearsing because we just got into all of these positions, trying to figure out a way that it would be believable that they could break the bed. We laughed a lot. One of the loveliest things was that Matthew was always like, “Are you comfortable? Are you okay? Do you feel okay?” It was lovely. We had a lot of fun doing that scene, but it was very technical. Nowadays, in production, what have what is called an intimacy coordinator, who’s there to make sure everything is okay and you’re comfortable, and everybody’s being heard, and all the scenes are precisely done. We rehearsed that scene for around two or three hours, and then the day after, we shot it. It was fun, and people seem to like it. It’s a funny scene. I like the way the woman takes control. I think it’s important to see all sorts of scenes, when you’re watching sex scenes.
Will you be in Season 2 of the show? Have you had conversations about returning?
FALCÓN: Well, they will do a Season 2 and we all were happy. I know they were happy with my work, and I was certainly incredibly happy with being a part of it. Of course, if they would invite me, I would love to do it, but they’re figuring out the whole second season. I guess we’ll hear about it, if they need me for the season. But if I don’t get invited, I’m still gonna watch the show and applauded it because I love everyone and I think it’s a great show. It’s very well done.
And it’s beautiful to look at it.
FALCÓN: Yeah, I’m also a fan of that Los Angeles. For me, it was beautiful to see how they rebuilt so many parts of the city, and then go visit them. I’m a big fan of that era.
It sounds like your role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was greatly affected by COVID. How much more had you shot than what we got to see?
FALCÓN: Well, I was hired to be in four episodes. We went to Prague to do that, and I finished the four episodes. Actually, the day that I finished shooting my last episode, that was the day that everything got closed for COVID. It was incredibly strange for everybody because we still couldn’t believe it. We had no previous experience, none of us, all over the world, for what happened. We couldn’t believe it. It almost felt surreal. So, I remember arriving at the hotel and they said, “Okay, we need to get everybody out. This is very serious.” They didn’t finish the show in that moment. They had to go back and do it. And then, at the end of the day, they had to reconstruct and rearrange the show, and in that reconstruction and rearrangement, my character got to be less and I’m only in one or two very, very little scenes.
They did a great show, but everybody was adapting to the circumstances. They did wonderfully. The show was very liked by the audience. Maybe one day, I’ll get to play that character again, or maybe they’ll do something with it, but if not, I totally understand what they did because we were all trying to do the best we could with what we had. That was so many hours of work and so much time, that whatever they needed to do, in terms of editing, to make the show work for the audience, that was absolutely the right call. I still had a wonderful time shooting there. I got to visit Prague, which I had never been to before, and I love the city. Everyone was kind. It was a wonderful two weeks that I was there. I’m so glad to hear the show is doing great.
It was such an odd situation because, when production shut down, everybody thought it might just be a couple of weeks. And then, people wondered if anything would ever be able to get back into production again. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier really seemed like one of those shows that was heavily in the middle of all of that. Did they call and explain everything to you? How did you find out about what they were doing?
FALCÓN: They are very decent. I knew what was happening because I was there, and then they did call my agent and say, “Listen, we love Veronica, but this is what happened. We look forward to working with her again.” That’s more than a lot of companies would do. Marvel and Disney do take care of their talent. At least in my case, I had a wonderful experience with both of them, which is the same. But they give a quick call to my agent and I really appreciated it because they really didn’t have to. They are solving bigger problems, like having a huge production with a lot of people and a pandemic on top, and they still had the time to tell me what happened. I would have been fine, either way, but I really appreciated the call. I totally understand and, believe me, we’re all trying to do the best we can with everything that’s happening.
You’re doing projects that are all over the map, as far as genre and the types of characters that you’re playing. At this point in your life and career, what do you look for? Is there something that’s most important to you? Does it start with the script? Is there anything that is an absolute no for you? How do you approach that?
FALCÓN: I like characters that are well-written. That’s one thing that, for me, is very important, how well written the character is and if it’s rounded and believable, and all of that. Of course, I love working with people I admire, that I think I can learn from, and that can provide a professional challenge, to learn and to be a better actor. I’m very curious about all sorts genres and media. The only absolute no, for me, would be disrespect. When there’s a set or someone that is disrespectful to anybody, to people in general, or they’re unkind, that’s a no-no for me. I don’t care who they are. We have to treat everybody with respect and kindness. But luckily enough, I’ve never had to worry about that. I’ve been very, very blessed with that. Now, I just want characters that are challenging and take me from one place on the spectrum to the other. I would love to do a Shakespearian character, for example. That’s something that I’ve never done in film or in television. I did a little bit of theater like that. I would love to do characters that require a lot of physical work because, let’s face it, I don’t know how much longer I can do that. Of course, we’ve seen Helen Mirren do action and she’s killing it and she’s gorgeous, but I think she was gorgeous the whole time. It’s not like I’m gonna turn into Helen Mirren. I wish. I would love to do something that’s shot in a place I’ve never been, just because you have a chance to meet the people and to be in that location. I want a good story. It’s the story that calls me.
I would be all for like a Disney+ series of Trader Sam and what her life is like, outside of what we see in Jungle Cruise.
FALCÓN: Yeah, I would love to do something like that. That would be like an absolute gift, to be able to explore a character that way. I could only be so blessed, if that happened. After going through the pandemic, I’ve been an actor for over 30 years and every single thing I get now, I just see it as a gift I try to work very hard, I try to honor it, and I try to do the best I can. That’s already a lot.
With the female pirate that’s been added to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and now a female Trader Sam, I think it was an awesome choice to change the role in that way.
FALCÓN: Me too. I love that Disney is doing that. It’s really important for women and for little girls everywhere and, in general, for everybody because it’s not only a woman thing. The more we treat each other with equality and with respect, the better we’ll all be, whether you’re a man or a woman. Disney is doing their part, and I love being a part of that.
Jungle Cruise is in theaters and available at Disney+ Premier Access.